A Grim Scenario: If America Ends Up With a Republican President and a GOP-Controlled Congress

DES MOINES, IA - MARCH 07: U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) fields questions from Bruce Rastetter at the Iowa Ag Summit on March 7, 2015 in Des Moines, Iowa. The event allows the invited speakers, many of whom are potential 2016 Republican presidential hopefuls, to outline their views on agricultural issue. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

It’s entirely possible that in the upcoming presidential election the Republican candidate could win and become the next U.S. president and, at the same time, the GOP would retain control of the Congress. If that happens then this country and society would undergo a drastic change, one that is almost unimaginable.

That grim prediction and the points presented in the following discussion are not based on supposition or unsupported speculation but, rather, on explicit, documented statements and actions of the Republican Party and its members. They have clearly stated their positions on the major issues and problems facing this country and what they intend to do if they are given the opportunity, i.e., when they have assumed total control of this government.

In this new America, there is no question but that Corporate America will reign supreme, and its current power and control over this government and the direction of this country will be greatly magnified. Profits above all else will be the guiding principle shaping its agenda.

The Affordable Care Act, aka, Obamacare, would be singled out for immediate repeal; appropriate legislation would swiftly pass the House and the Senate and be signed by the president. The GOP representation in the Congress has, in the last few years, attempted to repeal the ACA legislation over 50 times, and each time President Obama has vetoed it. The vetoes were never overridden because of substantial Democratic opposition.

But this time, there would be no presidential veto, that program would be phased out, and it’s anyone’s guess what would follow. Since the Republicans have never presented any plan to replace it with a more effective health care system we can only surmise that they would just dismantle the program and turn it over to the insurance companies.

The bad news is that millions of Americans would lose their ACA membership and benefits that guarantee coverage for pre-existing conditions and would have to try to qualify for other coverage. Even if successful, they would see their premiums skyrocket as the insurance companies would, once again, be in full control.

Medicare: what would happen to this critically important program? It’s quite likely that the Medicare system would remain intact for those already enrolled but other Americans seeking new coverage would have to obtain it from the corporations of the insurance industry. As we know, turning over government programs to the private, profit-making sector is one of the key objectives of the GOP.

Inequality in America: the current huge gap between the wealthiest Americans and the rest of the people in this country would widen as all gains in national income would continue to flow to the top. America would become a full-blown oligarchy inhabited by haves and have nots.

Job creation: would continue to languish on the back burner. The Republicans have no intention of doing anything to create jobs for American workers; and neither do the U.S. corporations since they have access to an infinite number of low-wage workers in overseas countries. The fact the middle class and the American workforce are both shrinking because of this job outsourcing is of no concern to either the Republican Party or Corporate America.

Medicaid, which has, in the past, been rejected by many Republican-controlled states, would more than likely disappear as a functioning program, and the individual states that currently have this program would have to take care of their citizens’ medical needs some other way, which involves a lot more very costly emergency room visits.

Social Security: this highly successful, very important government program has, for many decades, provided retirement income for countless millions of Americans; it has been very effective even though the government has “borrowed” (some would say “absconded with”) about $2.5 trillion from the SS trust fund and has no intention of ever repaying it.

Republicans would probably adopt the former G.W. Bush proposal which called for a combination of a government-funded program for current retirees, together with personal retirement accounts invested in Wall Street for future entrants. The attempt to privatize a large portion of this program by turning much of it over to the unpredictable gyrations of Wall Street failed in 2004. But that won’t stop a Republican-controlled government from resurrecting that misguided idea once again; and then, look out America!

Planned Parenthood: it would be swiftly defunded and go out of existence.

The Military: the neocon war hawks would return en masse, with a vengeance, and not hesitate to use the most powerful military in world history to solidify the Pentagon’s agenda of perpetual war. It wouldn’t be long before Congress would kill the recently concluded nuclear agreement with Iran.

The potential for war with Iran would escalate, largely because Republicans would strongly embrace the doctrine of Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu which is based on his distrust and hatred of Iran. The chances of Israel attacking Iran with the full support of the GOP-controlled government would be greatly increased. John McCain might see his wish to “Bomb, bomb, bomb Iran” finally fulfilled. Ted Cruz would continue to pursue his proposed idea of carpet bombing ISIS; too bad if thousands of civilians would be incinerated in the process.

There would be no letup in the funding of the military empire while the plethora of America’s domestic needs would continue to remain unaddressed.

Climate Change: Republicans who think this threat to the planet and mankind is a pure hoax would not pursue any specific actions to deal with it and the dangers it represents.

Federal Air and Water Regulations: legislation would be initiated that would either significantly water down or even eliminate clean air and water regulations. The EPA, the Environmental Agency, could face elimination because, in many cases, it stands in the way of corporate America and its primary objective of increasing profits.

Confrontations with Russia and China: These two countries represent a very potent combination of military and economic power and they will not be intimidated by the U.S. Even so, the war hawks in Washington, while fully knowing this, will not back off their aggressive militaristic agenda aimed at both of these countries, a colossal misjudgment and mistake.

The Supreme Court: a Republican-controlled government would pack this court with more radicals when sitting justices were replaced. The reversal of the Citizens United decision would never be addressed, and the many interests of Corporate America would be advanced in many ways.

Roe V. Wade and a woman’s right to choose would become a thing of the past. But it would not end the practice of abortions which would then go completely underground.

American Muslims: their everyday actions would come under constant surveillance. They would become second class citizens at best and objects of hatred and derisiveness.

Immigration: especially if Trump became president, the deportation of millions of Hispanics who are not citizens would be rapidly escalated. There would be no more calls for various forms of amnesty and ways to eventually allow these illegal immigrants to become U.S. citizens.

GOP War on Women: it would continue and magnify as the voices of those who want to control the women of America and their bodies will intensify. Here are a few quotes from those ultra-conservative individuals who possess that control syndrome:

Mike Huckabee: “Women don’t need to depend on government for birth control. All they have to do is learn to control their burning desires.” He further said, “Wives Also should ‘graciously submit’ to their husbands.”

GOP Indiana Senate candidate Richard Mourdock said that a pregnancy resulting from rape is God’s intention. Rush Limbaugh insulted women when he stated: “Feminism was established so as to allow unattractive women easier access to the mainstream of society.”

Now we know the true meaning of the word “control freak.”

We have seen that Republicans are perfectly willing to water down or eliminate successful government programs that people really need but they neither have the inclination nor the capacity to replace them with something more effective. They don’t seem to understand that one of the primary responsibilities of this government is to provide for the “safety and security” of the American people; and that includes appropriate government programs.

In the past, the Democratic Party has had difficulty getting out the vote and they have lost the control of Congress as a result. What it must do now is to organize a great effort to motivate and energize a massive number of their supporters to vote in November.

If they do just that then the Democratic candidate will win handily.

But if far too many supporters of the Democratic agenda stay home and don’t vote and the majority of actual voters decide to cast their ballots for a candidate whose positions on critical issues match those outlined above, then the grim, nightmarish scenario presented above will become reality.

Talk about the American people arriving at a critical crossroads. So when we decide whether to vote or not, and for whom we will cast that ballot, we better think very deeply about the America in which we want to live going into the future.

Michael Payne is an independent progressive activist. His writings deal with social, economic, political and foreign policy issues; and especially with the great dangers involved with the proliferation of perpetual war, the associated defense industry, and the massive control that Corporate America holds over this government and our election process; all which are leading this nation down the road to eventual financial ruin if the conditions are not reversed. He is a graduate of Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois and a U.S. Army veteran.

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